Published on Wednesday, Apr 30, 2008
Every organisation worth its salt is looking to hire good employees. After all, the better the people on your payrolls, the greater are your chances of success!
Having a superior workforce not only yields benefits of increased productivity, efficiency and morale, but also aids in raising retention levels. Conversely, a proliferation of bad employees is a huge drain on time, money and resources.
Therefore, instead of the continuous rigmarole of hiring and firing people, doesn’t it pay to spend time on finding the best employees the first time around itself?
Then again, every hapless employer’s common refrain is, ‘Where are all the good employees?’ Well, candidates will not come knocking on your door, i.e. not the best ones at least.
You have to go ferret them out from every nook and corner.
Recruitment sources range across a wide variety of channels like:
• Wanted ads – These stretch from the traditional classified advertisements in newspapers and trade magazines to standard job postings on online job boards to the more explicit listings of open positions on company-hosted websites. Such broad-based advertising attracts job seekers by the bushel and it is up to the organisation to rummage for the best.
• Employment agencies – For filling entry-level positions, companies can turn to recruitment agencies and avail themselves of a wide-ranging search through the hordes of applicant resumes available in their database. This will deliver added benefits of professional screening, reference checks, aptitude tests, job match and the like. Not only do they find qualified candidates, but also ensure a better match for the job in question.
A more specific search for key positions or special expertise jobs brings the option of dedicated executive search firms/head hunters. Their specialist services will locate qualified candidates with the right combination of talents for the available position, but at a higher fee.
• Temporary employment – Offering temporary jobs or internships opens a circumspect approach to check out performance before upgrading to permanent employment. In fact, there are scores of temporary employment agencies that focus on providing ‘temps’ for sundry jobs from receptionists, secretaries and accountants to marketing and programming too.
• In-house candidates – Most companies do not realise that they are sitting on a gold mine when it comes to recruiting top candidates. Many employees may be ready for a promotion, inclined for lateral transfers or just looking for a change. Moving them up or shifting them around will not only be handy for filling vacant positions, but also improve morale and motivation levels manifold.
• Employee referrals – Turning employees into recruiters by asking them to keep their eyes open for talented prospects is another expedient source of tapping employees’ networks. Such referral programmes are less costly and also lead to more successful hires as employees know the company/job and will only refer candidates who are a most likely fit for the job.
• Walk-ins – Employers should never make the mistake of ignoring unsolicited candidates who come looking for a job. At best, these should at least be filed away for future reference.
• Miscellany - Organisations should also look for non-traditional sources that they have overlooked in the past. They can tap other all-embracing sources like job fairs, tradeshows, campus recruitments, business networks, professional associations or radio advertising.
Else, opt for distributing job flyers or even rely on word-of-mouth publicity. Recruiters should never hesitate to approach someone whom they would like to hire, including wooing back retirees or past employees from the competition.
This is merely a comprehensive list of recruitment options, as there are no quintessentially good or bad sources. It all depends on the type of job in question.
Therefore, companies should first establish a well-thought-out recruiting plan that clearly identifies the target employee they need and the requisite skills, qualifications, responsibilities, tasks and work conditions.
This considered strategy will help employers to filter out the recruitment sources and settle on the most credible options. The result is a combination package of three to four of the best resources that will drive the selection process and secure the best employee that they need.
Instead of being hard-pressed to find a good candidate every time an employee quits or a position falls vacant, it pays to slowly build a pipeline of ‘potential employees’.
Hence, once hiring managers identify ‘where the next good employee is coming from’, they should concentrate on developing a good, long-term relationship with those recruitment sources to generate name recognition and credibility among the best potential job candidates.
This will enable them to act proactively, quickly and decisively when they do need to hire someone…tomorrow!
Having a superior workforce not only yields benefits of increased productivity, efficiency and morale, but also aids in raising retention levels. Conversely, a proliferation of bad employees is a huge drain on time, money and resources.
Therefore, instead of the continuous rigmarole of hiring and firing people, doesn’t it pay to spend time on finding the best employees the first time around itself?
Then again, every hapless employer’s common refrain is, ‘Where are all the good employees?’ Well, candidates will not come knocking on your door, i.e. not the best ones at least.
You have to go ferret them out from every nook and corner.
Recruitment sources range across a wide variety of channels like:
• Wanted ads – These stretch from the traditional classified advertisements in newspapers and trade magazines to standard job postings on online job boards to the more explicit listings of open positions on company-hosted websites. Such broad-based advertising attracts job seekers by the bushel and it is up to the organisation to rummage for the best.
• Employment agencies – For filling entry-level positions, companies can turn to recruitment agencies and avail themselves of a wide-ranging search through the hordes of applicant resumes available in their database. This will deliver added benefits of professional screening, reference checks, aptitude tests, job match and the like. Not only do they find qualified candidates, but also ensure a better match for the job in question.
A more specific search for key positions or special expertise jobs brings the option of dedicated executive search firms/head hunters. Their specialist services will locate qualified candidates with the right combination of talents for the available position, but at a higher fee.
• Temporary employment – Offering temporary jobs or internships opens a circumspect approach to check out performance before upgrading to permanent employment. In fact, there are scores of temporary employment agencies that focus on providing ‘temps’ for sundry jobs from receptionists, secretaries and accountants to marketing and programming too.
• In-house candidates – Most companies do not realise that they are sitting on a gold mine when it comes to recruiting top candidates. Many employees may be ready for a promotion, inclined for lateral transfers or just looking for a change. Moving them up or shifting them around will not only be handy for filling vacant positions, but also improve morale and motivation levels manifold.
• Employee referrals – Turning employees into recruiters by asking them to keep their eyes open for talented prospects is another expedient source of tapping employees’ networks. Such referral programmes are less costly and also lead to more successful hires as employees know the company/job and will only refer candidates who are a most likely fit for the job.
• Walk-ins – Employers should never make the mistake of ignoring unsolicited candidates who come looking for a job. At best, these should at least be filed away for future reference.
• Miscellany - Organisations should also look for non-traditional sources that they have overlooked in the past. They can tap other all-embracing sources like job fairs, tradeshows, campus recruitments, business networks, professional associations or radio advertising.
Else, opt for distributing job flyers or even rely on word-of-mouth publicity. Recruiters should never hesitate to approach someone whom they would like to hire, including wooing back retirees or past employees from the competition.
This is merely a comprehensive list of recruitment options, as there are no quintessentially good or bad sources. It all depends on the type of job in question.
Therefore, companies should first establish a well-thought-out recruiting plan that clearly identifies the target employee they need and the requisite skills, qualifications, responsibilities, tasks and work conditions.
This considered strategy will help employers to filter out the recruitment sources and settle on the most credible options. The result is a combination package of three to four of the best resources that will drive the selection process and secure the best employee that they need.
Instead of being hard-pressed to find a good candidate every time an employee quits or a position falls vacant, it pays to slowly build a pipeline of ‘potential employees’.
Hence, once hiring managers identify ‘where the next good employee is coming from’, they should concentrate on developing a good, long-term relationship with those recruitment sources to generate name recognition and credibility among the best potential job candidates.
This will enable them to act proactively, quickly and decisively when they do need to hire someone…tomorrow!
PAYAL CHANANIA
No comments:
Post a Comment